Past Misfortunes, Present Blessings
by bugly42
Summary: Crossover with the movie Thoughtcrimes. With the Daedalus providing a critical link between the Atlantis Expedition and home, new experts are brought on board to help combat the Wraith. WIP
1. Chapter 1

Title: Past Misfortunes, Present Blessings

Fandoms: Stargate Atlantis, Thoughtcrimes

Rating: FR-13

Disclaimer: I own neither Stargate Atlantis nor Thoughtcrimes, since I'm not that creative. I'm also not making any profit off of this beyond the ability to sleep without the pestering of plot-bunnies.

Summary: With the Daedalus providing a critical link between the Atlantis Expedition and home, new experts are brought on board to help combat the Wraith.

Spoiler Warning: This story was actually conceived in the weeks leading up to the premiere of Season 2 of Atlantis, and contains a version of those events. This story, however, being a crossover, is AU, and not intended to interfere with the enjoyment of the new season.

Note: Thoughts are formatted like _:this.:_

**Part I**

* * *

"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." – Charles Dickens_

* * *

From the Journal of Freya McAllister, July 2005:_

We're about a day out from our destination as I write this. I can't wait. For one thing, I'll actually be on my own, without Michael watching over my shoulder. I'm still not exactly sure what a paranormal specialist can do on an alien outpost, but I'm enough of a science fiction fan to not pass up a trip on a spaceship to an alien world.

Officially, I'm here to test for a telepathic component for activation of the so-called Ancient technology. It seems to be thought-driven to some extent, but the link between what is being called the ATA gene and these devices is odd. Everyone was disappointed when it turned out that I tested negative. I think I'm relieved. The last thing I need is another gift that makes me even more indispensable to my government.

The crew mostly leaves me alone with the other scientists. The other scientists are friendly, but distant. I hear them talking about me when they think I'm not around. Something bothers them about having a person on this project with a specialty in ESP. Like I work with voodoo, instead of the real stuff. Thank God I don't have to tell anyone. My only friend it seems is the other outcast on board, the alien portion of our crew. His name is Hermiod, and he is one of the Asgard, our little grey men. I've read enough mythology to recognize the name, and the two of us have actually discussed a lot of things from the modern interpretations of the myths descended from Asgard action on Earth to what's for dinner. I can't read his thoughts. Michael will be disappointed.

The thoughts of the people on board are focused, and I find myself retreating to my quarters, or one of the observation decks. Watching the hyperspace vortex go by is something I may never grow tired of. It helps tune out the background noise that slips in when I relax.

Having seen the Terra Atlantus outpost and the Daedalus, I wonder what Atlantis itself will be like. According to the captain, we land around suppertime. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

* * *

Dr. Elizabeth Weir watched as the jumpers unloaded the new scientists. She absently flipped through several of the files, looking at the new specialties. Weapons and defensive specialties covered the majority, with a new surgeon and other medical professions coming in to prepare for the casualties when the next wave hit. Then one specialty caught her eye. _:Paranormal psychology, with an emphasis on ESP. Heightmeyer is going to love this:_ she thought. Shuffling the papers back into a stack, she walked over to address the group milling awkwardly in the gate room.

"Welcome to Atlantis, ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad you've chosen to sign up and help us defend this, the greatest technological find in the history of our people. My name is Doctor Elizabeth Weir, and I'm the head of the Atlantis Expedition, as you all would know from your briefings prior to boarding the Daedalus. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you, and discussing what you feel you have to offer if any skills are not being used.

"The gentleman beside me is Doctor Rodney McKay, our chief scientific officer."

"Your boss," Rodney interrupted with a smirk.

"Your boss," Elizabeth continued. "All requests for equipment and resources go through him. You will also be meeting our chief medical officer, Doctor Carson Beckett, later for your baseline physicals. At that point, those of you who do not already possess the ancient gene may opt for gene therapy to introduce the factor. Keep in mind that all those with the gene are required to undergo some basic training for devices requiring the gene for activation, most importantly including the piloting of the shuttlecraft you just used, known around here as 'puddlejumpers.' I expect your utmost cooperation in this.

"Also, I must introduce our chief security officer, Sergeant Bates. He is in charge of keeping track of any and all security risks. If you are found out of bounds at any time, you get to deal with him. Once again, welcome to Atlantis. Sgt. Bates, if you'll escort them to the briefing room, they're all yours."

Elizabeth watched as Bates and another marine handed out the headsets that everyone on Atlantis wore to keep in touch, and then the group started to walk off. One woman, a brunette, stayed behind, watching her. _:What does she want:_

The young woman approached, offering her hand. "Dr. Weir? I'm Freya McAllister," she said politely.

"The paranormal specialist."

"You could say that. I understand that there's been some experience on the part of one of your refugees in the area of telepathic communication."

"Teyla has a connection to the wraith because of her DNA. I hope you're not here to experiment on her. I don't appreciate my people being used as guinea pigs."

"Ma'am, I don't believe in physical experimentation. The kinds of tests I would be performing would involve Zener Cards and other techniques accepted by those in the field. I would like your permission to help her develop her . . . gift to have more control over whether or not a connection is made," Freya said, with some reticence.

"It's not my permission you need, Ms. McAllister. Shouldn't you be on your way to your security debriefing?"

"I don't do well in crowds. With your permission, I'll just go straight to the medical facilities."

_:A very strange young woman:_ Elizabeth thought as she watched Freya walk confidently down the corridor and out of the gate room.

* * *

Freya walked down the corridor into the portion of the city populated by the Athosian refugees, having gotten directions to the recreation room where Teyla Emmagan taught weapons and fighting. The city was amazing, but she found the people hard to deal with. The doctor had been polite, but Freya had wanted to hurt some of the male nurses for their dirty minds. The fact that she was officially working towards a master's degree in psychology didn't help, because of the bias towards MDs and PhDs in the scientific department. Atlantis was staffed by the best of the best, and on paper, she didn't measure up.

She found the room she was looking for, and the door slid open, allowing her entrance. The city wasn't telepathic, as far as she could tell, but it was so perceptive of what went on that it might as well be. Two figures were inside the sparring room, fighting with paired sticks. One was a dark-skinned woman in exotic clothing, the other, a messy-haired man in BDUs.

As she watched, the two were evenly matched, the man's back to her, but there was something familiar about that short-cropped, dark hair, and the way he moved. _:Brendan:_ she projected into his mind, listening closely for a reaction.

The reaction she got wasn't the one she expected. The man missed his block, and the woman skillfully knocked him to the ground, one stick clearly in place for a final blow. "You are not focusing, Colonel," she admonished, transferring the weapon to her other hand and offering a hand up, which the man took.

"Sorry, it's just . . ." he broke off, looking over his shoulder at Freya. "We got company." A grin crossed his face as he approached, but Freya could hear his thoughts clearly. _:Don't say a word:_ he warned mentally, offering his hand. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. You must be one of the new bunch."

Freya shook his hand, trying her best to make her smile looks less forced than it felt as she introduced herself to her former partner. "Freya McAllister. I'm looking for Teyla Emmagan."

"You have found her," the exotic woman said. "Is there something the matter?"

"Actually, no. I just wanted to get to know you. My field is parapsychology, especially ESP and telepathy. I would like to work with you on focusing and refining your abilities."

"My ability to sense the wraith, you mean?" Teyla asked, warily.

"Yes. I'm also going to be working with Colonel Sheppard here, and the other people who can use ancient technology, in determining the extent of the apparent telepathic control they have over those devices."

"I have no intention of becoming prey to the minds of the wraith again," Teyla said.

"And I don't want you to, Teyla. But we need your help in learning what you can about the wraith and how they think. I can teach you techniques that will give you the ability to stay in control. If you're willing."

"Ms. McAllister, I don't think you understand what you're asking. We don't know what the wraith can pick up when Teyla unblocks her link. It's a serious security risk," Sheppard said.

"I will help you," Teyla said. "I have no wish for the wraith to be able to use me to destroy the city of the ancestors."

"Thank you. If you would like to stop by my office later, I'd be happy to arrange a schedule of meetings so we can begin to evaluate what we can do. I'd also be interested in learning what you teach. I find martial arts a good way to focus my mind," Freya said, smiling at the Athosian leader. "Colonel Sheppard, if you'd step outside with me, I'd like to have a talk."

Sheppard stiffened, but bowed politely to Teyla, and put the sticks away before walking outside with Freya.

Once outside of the room, Freya walked to a spot where she didn't think they would be overheard and spun on Sheppard. "Brendan, what the hell are you doing here?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

* * *

"There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity." – General Douglas MacArthur

* * *

"What the hell am I doing here? My job. Serving my country," Sheppard said, glaring at Freya. "You can't just barge in here and ruin everything, Freya."

"You're impersonating an officer of the United States Air Force. That's not exactly a minor crime. So let me ask again, what are you doing here?"

Sheppard walked towards a balcony overlooking the ocean, and sighed. "I got assigned to check on an influx of scientists being transferred to an unknown facility near McMurdo. The easiest way was for me to have an identity set up within the air force. Trust me, this assignment came as a shock," he explained.

"Does anybody know?"

"Not to my knowledge. At least not here in Atlantis. Why did they send you?"

"Well, first they transferred me to the outpost, but they're really having problems with that chair device. There aren't too many people that can activate it with any regularity."

"You?"

"I don't have the gene, unlike a certain hotshot flyboy."

"So they have you investigating telepathic technology, right?"

"Pretty much. What I said to Teyla is also true. If she really has a telepathic link with the wraith, we can use that to gather information. You may have managed to blow up the remaining two hive ships, but they're still coming."

"What about your . . . abilities?"

"I don't seem to be able to read alien thoughts. I tried with Hermiod on the Daedalus, but it was like hitting someone with blocking. As for the ancient devices, I'm not sure. They don't respond to me, anyways."

He paused for a moment, and studied her. "Join my team," he said. "You can study me and Teyla all you want and I can take advantage of having an edge in our negotiations with other planets that even Weir won't expect. Unless she's cleared?"

"Are you sure, Brendan? I don't want to be in your way."

Sheppard grinned at the young woman. "Freya, it would be my pleasure to work with you again."

"But will I be working with John Sheppard or Brendan Dean?"

"Does it matter? I'm the same guy I always was."

"Brendan, him I could trust. I don't know John at all."

"So, tag along for a few missions, and get to know me."

"Damn it, Brendan, I didn't come here to play soldier. I came to work on the only recent discoveries in my field in ten years."

"And what did Harper and your good doctor say?"

"There hasn't really been any work in almost a year that needed my expertise. I've been working with ancient devices back on Earth, first at Groom Lake, and then at Terra Atlantus. As far as Harper is concerned, I've been transferred to another department. Besides, it was beginning to wear me down. I needed the isolation."

"Can't get more isolated than another galaxy, can you?" _:You didn't mention Dr. Welles.:_

"Michael…well, he doesn't actually know where I am. As far as he knows, there was some technology recovered during a military exercise that has some strange reactions to mental control, so they wanted his prize telepath. I still have to report my findings, but I'm free of it all."

"I never did understand why you clung to that pompous ass."

"He got me out of Brookridge. I suppose I felt . . . still feel . . . that I owe him for that."

Sheppard scoffed at that. "You owe someone your life, send him a card."

"Does that mean there's a Hallmark store here in Pegasus?" On an impulse, Freya hugged her former partner. "It's good to see you again." _:Even if it is a billion light-years from home:_ she thought, keeping a tight lock on her telepathy.

"You too, Freya. You too," Sheppard said, and started walking away, then, after a few steps, turned back to her. "So, about joining my team?"

Freya laughed, one of the first times she'd done so in a while. "You arrange to take me to the mainland to interview the other Athosians with Teyla's gift, and we can talk about it."

* * *

"Weir, this is Sheppard, you got a moment?" came John's voice through her earpiece.

She tapped her earpiece to turn on the microphone. "Sure, I was just heading down to the medical bay to find out how our new batch measures up."

"Meet you there."

"Rodger." Elizabeth shook her head. _:Wonder what he's got on his mind now? Hopefully not another suicide mission.:_ She turned into the teleporter to go to the medical bay, and leaned against a wall, waiting for Beckett to acknowledge her.

"Dr. Weir, so good to see you," Carson said, grinning. "I've just finished inoculating the last of our new volunteers, and we should have the results back soon. Everyone is perfectly human."

"That's good to hear. Feel free to put your new medical team into rotation as soon as possible," Elizabeth replied. "I'm a little curious about a Ms. Freya McAllister."

"Very polite, that one. Dinna talk much, though. She'll be reporting to Dr. Heightmeyer, won't she?"

"Ah, yes. She would be under Heightmeyer's jurisdiction, considering her field of expertise. I still can't believe that there's a government agency actually studying that sort of thing."

"Well, we do have proof it exists, don't we?"

"Yes, we do," said Sheppard, as he walked in. "And I want her on my team."

"Colonel, this is very unusual . . ." Elizabeth began.

"Freya is here to study the wraith and ancient technology. She'd get hands-on experience with me and my team. Hell, Rodney could stay home for a change."

"I don't think . . ."

"Elizabeth, I want her."

"Can you at least tell me why?"

"She's a smart kid, I've worked with her before, and she's got . . . this way of figuring people out. It'd be invaluable in our trade negotiations."

"You'd pull her away from her studies for field work, why?"

"Who says I'm pulling her away. She can work with Teyla while we're on the jumper."

"Your mind is made up, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well, Colonel. But I expect you to keep her in one piece."

Sheppard chuckled at that.

"What?"

"Oh, she's not the one you should be worried about." With that cryptic remark, Sheppard left. Elizabeth turned to Carson, who had a strange expression on his face.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, I do suppose it is strange, that of all the people without the gene, only one refused the gene therapy."

"Ms. McAllister?"

"Aye, she said she dinna want another gift she couldn't return."

"A very strange young woman," Elizabeth found herself saying, as she returned to the gate room.

* * *

A week later, Freya found herself already settled in to the rhythm of life in Atlantis. She was sitting going over the translation of the wraith data storage device found in the lab where the rogue scientist had done its experiments. According to what she was reading, it seemed that the wraith had more of a hive mind with independent ability as opposed to all the members being telepathic.

She was actually starting to get an idea of the how the written language worked, but it was probably easier to let those who'd been there do the hard work. She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice when the door to her office whooshed open, and started when there was a knock on the wall.

Freya looked up to see Sheppard standing inside the doorway, watching her.

"Quite a place you got here. Away from the world," he said.

"I like my privacy, Brendan, I have so little of it to protect."

"John."

"I'll try to remember that."

He chuckled. "You've really gone all business, haven't you?"

Freya made a notation, then looked up again at the man she was no longer sure she could call friend. "I'm here to do a job. That's what I do, find answers to questions no one else even knows to ask."

"Why here?"

"Why not? You're here, too, you know."

"Well, I did get told by someone I hold the utmost respect for that anyone who doesn't want to go through the Stargate is whacked."

"General O'Neill has that effect on people, doesn't he?"

"How did you . . . ? Oh, wait, never mind. Telepath. It seemed like the right idea at the time. Travel, see new things, make new friends. Who wouldn't go for something like that? Besides, it turned out the group I was supposed to be watching was all being transferred here, as well."

Freya nodded. "June asked about you."

"She did? When?"

"Does it matter, _John_?" she asked, stressing the different name.

"Quit playing games, Freya. I've got a command to worry about."

"I read the reports."

"Good for you."

"Your blocking is a lot better than when we last saw each other."

_:Trying to read my mind? What do you expect to find:_ he thought at her.

"I'm not fishing," she said defensively. "Anyways, why are you here?"

"If you're going to be on my team, you need to be a good shot for when we run into trouble."

"I take it that happens a lot."

"You read the reports," he said, smiling. "Come on, I'm dragging Rodney into this, so you have someone to compete with."

"Rodney?"

"McKay."

"You want me to wipe the floor with my boss?"

"That about sums it up."

Freya shook her head, and stood up. "Yes, sir, Colonel, sir."

"Say it with more sarcasm, or I'll think you believe it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

* * *

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." – Henry Van Dyke

* * *

Sheppard led Freya and Rodney down to a large gallery that the marines had converted into a shooting range and, after putting up a pair of silhouettes, he handed both of them a 9mm Beretta. "Ok, kids, lets see what you got."

Freya took the gun, squared up, and emptied the clip with almost no pause between rounds. Ejecting the empty clip, she turned, and looked at the two men. "Living up to your expectations, boys?"

Rodney quickly closed his mouth, trying to hide his amazement. _:Where did a parapsychologist learn to shoot like that:_

Freya looked at the scientist, and shrugged. "I had a good teacher. Anyway, it's your turn."

Sheppard raised an eyebrow at the unasked question, but Freya just shook her head to him.

The two stood back to let the astrophysicist shoot, and he took his time, measuring his shots. He had the form down, but he clearly wasn't used to using small arms under pressure.

"You teach him, too?" Freya asked Sheppard.

"Yeah, but he hasn't had the experience of having to do the simulations like we did."

"Pretty easy to empty a clip if the target is nice and stands there without shooting back. What do you do with him in the field?"

"I'm right here, you know," Rodney interrupted.

"Well, what do you do when someone is shooting at you? I'm assuming it happens frequently enough or Brendan wouldn't be insisting on measuring how sloppy I've gotten."

"That's sloppy?" he asked, incredulously. "Wait a minute, who's Brendan?"

"Me," Sheppard said. "Middle name."

"Something wrong with John?"

"Drop it, _Rodney_," Sheppard said.

"Actually, it was sloppy. That third bullet would have been a lung hit. Barely inside the 4-ring," Freya commented. "I didn't have much of a chance to practice in Antarctica."

Rodney was pulling back the two silhouettes, and he compared the two. "Sheppard, you told me I only had to worry about staying inside the 10."

"Staying inside the 10 says you're safe for everyone else. And to answer your question, Freya, I usually hand him a P-90 and stay well away from where he's aiming."

"Hey!"

"Ok, so we've established that being cooped up has ruined my aim with a sidearm. Next?" Freya said, trying to get everyone back on track.

"And that I can shoot worse than someone who believes in mindreading and little green men," Rodney said.

"Actually, little grey men, and we get along rather well."

"You have a response for everything, don't you?"

"You work with the Colonel, I've worked with the Colonel. Isn't that one of the survival traits for putting up with him?"

"Freya!" Sheppard interjected.

"So, boss, what's next, hi-powered rifles or machine guns?" Freya asked Sheppard.

"You ever shot a P-90?"

"Oh, come on, when do you think the last time I handled anything fully automatic?"

"That week after the uranium scandal when I took you to the range?"

"Uranium scandal?" Rodney asked.

"'Bout a year and a half back, some terrorist group claimed they had enough fissionable material for a nuke. They had the bomb, of course," Freya said.

"Of course," Rodney responded, disbelievingly.

"So Freya and I were working the case from opposite ends and met in the middle. Turned out they didn't have anything worth mentioning."

"What is a parapsychologist doing helping catch terrorists?"

"Freya's really good at reading people," Sheppard said, offhanded, then handed Freya a P-90 and a couple of clips so she could work with the unfamiliar weapon.

"So, John, you worked with her?"

"We were partners on a couple of assignments."

"Elizabeth said you wanted her on the team."

"I do."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Do you want her on the team because she has a talent for reading people, or is this another one of your Captain Kirk adventures?"

"What!" Sheppard sputtered. "It's not . . . I mean, we never . . . She's not my girlfriend. Hell, I went out with her sister."

Looking over her shoulder while she swapped clips, Freya nodded. "Yeah, June was always asking if I was still working with that hot guy with the scruffy hair. She thought you'd stood her up until I told her you'd been transferred."

Sheppard scratched the back of his head, and frowned. "You know how it is, Freya. It's not like I can talk about what either of us do. She still believe the savant story?"

Freya chuckled. "Not really, but she doesn't have a better theory."

"Great, you two are bonding while she pretends to kill things."

"Have you ever had someone try to kill you, Dr. McKay?" Freya asked, as she let off several three-round bursts on a new silhouette.

"Does being attacked by wraith and the Genii count?"

"Was it personal?"

"Not really, no."

"How many times did someone try to kill me our first time out?"

"Well," Sheppard said. "There were the two guys in the truck, the target, Zoya and the bomb."

"The bomb was technically meant for your team," Freya commented.

"True. I did remember to thank you for that, didn't I?"

Freya looked back over her shoulder at Sheppard, smirking at him.

"You two are crazy," Rodney said.

The words made Freya freeze. _:He doesn't know. He can't know.:_

Sheppard stepped into Rodney, forcing him to take a step back by instinct. "Don't you ever say that about her," he growled.

"What? What'd I say?"

"Shut up, Rodney," Sheppard repeated.

Freya looked at Sheppard, and sighed, handing back the gun. "Sorry, Colonel. I need some alone time. I'll get in touch later."

Watching his former partner walk off reminded him of all the things he knew she'd been through. He grabbed the broom and dustpan and started sweeping up the spent shells to put in a bucket for recycling.

After a while, he noticed Rodney watching him. "What?"

"Why do you put up with that?"

"With Freya? Well, after we got through the hurdles of our first assignment together, we developed a level of trust," he said, and wondered if the lies he was living on Atlantis were damaging that. "Now, if I were you, I'd go hole up in my office or somewhere else out of the way for a few hours."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I wouldn't want to have a chance of running into her while she's still working through her annoyance, and that girl can cover a lot of ground."

"What is she doing?"

"Normally, when she withdraws like that, there's only two things she does. And since there really isn't a library here, that leaves only strenuous exercise. I figure it will take at least two hours for her to wear down enough to allow Bates to catch her."

"Allow? Is she nuts?"

"Rodney, let me just put it this way. Freya McAllister is the most unique and amazing person you will ever have the privilege of meeting. And if you ever call her crazy, nuts or anything of the sort again, I will kill you. Now, get going."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part IV**

* * *

"I've arrived at this outermost edge of my life by my own actions. Where I am is thoroughly unacceptable. Therefore, I must stop doing what I've been doing." - Alice Koller

* * *

Elizabeth looked up as Sergeant Bates entered her office, pushing a young lady in front of him. Her clothes marked her as from Earth, and she looked vaguely familiar, but offhand, she could not place the dark-haired twenty-something being bullied by the Chief of Security.

"Is something wrong, Sergeant?" Elizabeth asked.

"I found her snooping around the perimeter of the city."

"I wasn't snooping, I was going for a run," the girl started to explain.

"A little exercise doesn't explain why you were in an unexplored section of the city about as far away from the general population as you could possibly get," Bates countered.

"Please," the leader of Atlantis interjected. "What is going on?"

"One of the patrols alerted me to a fast-moving life-reading on the sensors. When we looked into it, she ran from us."

"I wasn't trying to run from you. I wasn't even aware you were there until your goons surrounded me."

Bates seemed unimpressed by the girl's excuse. "I called out to you myself several times before I gave the order to surround you."

The young woman looked down, clearly upset. "I'm really sorry about that . . . I tend to block everything out when I'm exercising like that. Keep my mind clear of anything but the next step, you know?"

"Proper procedure is to request an appropriate route for such exercise," Bates growled.

"I'll be sure to remember that."

"Thank you, Sergeant; I'll take care of this," Elizabeth said, breaking off any possibility of an argument.

"Yes'm," Bates said, and stepped out of the office, presumably to return to security patrols.

Elizabeth turned to look at the young woman in front of her. "I'm sorry, with all the new faces around here, I'm having trouble with names."

"Freya McAllister, ma'am."

"Oh, yes. You've been causing quite some speculation around here. And now you're causing trouble for the chief of security."

"I wasn't planning on it, ma'am."

"I don't think anyone plans on causing trouble for the sergeant. He's just good at attracting it."

"I'll remember to follow proper procedure in the future."

"Please, sit. I've been wanting to talk to you, Ms. McAllister."

Freya took a seat, and waited.

"Are you aware that you are the only one of the new scientists that refused to accept the experimental gene therapy?" Elizabeth began.

"I was not, but it doesn't surprise me."

"Carson, Dr. Beckett, I mean, said that you mentioned something about gifts you couldn't return. Could you elaborate?"

"It should be in my file, Dr. Weir."

_:I've seen special forces files with less black:_ Elizabeth thought to herself. "Are you aware that you have what the military types call a black file?"

"Prior to my transfer to the gate program, I worked with the NSA, ma'am. Most of my work is a matter of National Security. I'm sure you were given all the information you are considered cleared to know."

"Fine, fine. I'm also awaiting your response to joining Colonel Sheppard's team, by the way."

"I know, he asked me earlier today. I agreed to go out with him on a trial basis, if you're not against it."

"I'm a little confused as to why he's tapped you to replace Lt. Ford, but he hasn't seen fit to enlighten me there."

"I can handle myself in a fight, ma'am. Bren- John is aware of my combat experience."

"And I'm not questioning your experience, or lack thereof."

"With all due respect, you don't trust my presence here. I know what the other scientific team members feel, and they've probably brought all their doubts to you by now. I don't have the letters after my name or special titles. But I can tell you that I am the only person in my field that has been given clearance to know about this expedition and the Stargate program. You have to consider that the president and the joint chiefs did not make this decision lightly. Especially considering the dubious reputation the field of parapsychology has always had. I will be writing to ask that you and Colonel Sheppard be given clearance to know more about my credentials. I'm sorry if any of this has caused you an inconvenience."

As Freya finished her tirade, a voice came over the PA. "Control room to Weir," said the disembodied voice.

Elizabeth tapped her earpiece, saying, "This is Weir."

"Stackhouse's team is back from their survey of M3R-994, and would like to report."

"Tell them I'll meet them in the briefing room." Elizabeth stood, looking at Freya as she deactivated her com unit and spoke, "We can talk about this later."

"Thank you, ma'am." Freya stood, and followed Elizabeth out of the office, then turned to head back towards her own.

* * *

Elizabeth headed to the conference room to see what the survey of the potential new Alpha site had contained. Finding a backup planet was still a priority, seeing as the wraith appeared to be regrouping for a second wave on the city. Lt. Aiden Ford's defection hadn't helped morale among the troops, though the arrival of the new scientists had.

She entered the room to see Stackhouse and Rodney both looking over one of the readings, as the erstwhile physicist interrogated the team commander about the layout and surroundings of whatever it was that had interested him.

"Gentleman, if we could proceed?" she said, sitting down.

"Yes, ma'am," Stackhouse said. "At precisely 0800 hours this morning my team and I took Jumper Four through the 'gate to survey M3R-994. The planet is lush and temperate, with no obvious sign of wraith infestation. The survey went according to the mission profile, and we returned as of 1430 hours as scheduled."

"What the good Sergeant failed to mention is that he found a significant power reading about 5 clicks north-northwest of the 'gate."

"A power reading, that's important. Could it be another ZeePM?" Elizabeth asked.

"The reading is inconsistent with the ZedPM's usual output, but even so, this could indicate new technology we could use against the wraith," Rodney said. "I'd like to check it out."

"Anything else, Sergeant?" Elizabeth asked.

"The planet appears uninhabited, but suitable for development. Assuming the energy reading does not pose a danger, I would recommend M3R-994 be added to the list of possible evac sites."

"Thank you. I look forward to reading your full report. Rodney, I want you to learn everything you can about that energy signature before I let you and Colonel Sheppard go through the gate. I'm not risking another encounter like the one on M76-677."

"Elizabeth, come on. We didn't know that the shield was so important for the kids. It's not like-"

"Just find out first, this time, Rodney."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part V**

* * *

"One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness." – Josh Billings

* * *

Teyla was training with one of her fellow Athosians when she noticed that one of the new scientists was watching her. She had seen the woman eating with Sheppard from time to time, usually with a pack of playing cards, playing some sort of game while engaged in joking conversation. At first, the Athosian leader had felt slighted, since she had grown accustomed to his company at meals and other regular intervals. She was appeased, though, when Rodney mentioned that the two were acquainted from back on Earth, though Teyla clearly saw his dislike of the woman.

Bringing the exercise to a close, she and her sparring partner exchanged bows, and she handed over the weapons, turning to greet the watcher. "Freya, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Thank you. Please, continue. I don't want to interrupt," Freya replied, but the young man put away the weapons and exited the room.

"We are finished for the day."

"It was beautiful to watch."

"You are a student of martial arts?" Teyla asked, surprised. Sheppard attempted to learn, but they had found that his training to avoid hand-to-hand situations seemed to be in the way.

"I've done kickboxing," Freya replied, and paused to see if Teyla knew the term.

Teyla nodded. "I would be pleased to instruct you if you are interested."

"If Brendan can do it, so can I," Freya said, then paused. "I mean John."

"Might I ask why you call Colonel Sheppard by a different name?"

"When we first met, he was using his middle name," Freya said, smoothly repeating the half-truth Sheppard had used with McKay. "I've just gotten used to calling him that. I'd wondered where he'd disappeared off to. I don't know if Dr. Weir has mentioned how few people on Earth are aware of the presence of the Stargate."

"She has mentioned it," Teyla answered, and walked over to pick up two pairs of the sticks she used, holding one set out to Freya. "Would you like to try? The moves are not difficult."

Freya accepted the sticks, and bowed to Teyla, watching her as she was instructed how to hold and do the basic moves.

* * *

An hour later, Freya was still working with Teyla on the basics of various martial arts forms when the door whooshed open. Neither of the women looked up to see who entered, but Freya reached out with her mind to see if it was someone she recognized.

"Brendan," she said, not taking her eyes off her opponent. "Come to kick my ass?"

The smile in his voice came through. "Actually, I was coming to see if either of my two favorite ladies were willing to join me for lunch," Sheppard said. _:And watch the name.:_ Freya felt him pause in his thoughts. _:I thought you had to look at someone to read their mind. This is new.:_

"Lunch sounds great," Freya replied. "Teyla?"

"I have some errands to do. Perhaps later?"

"I'm looking forward to sparring with you again," Freya said, handing over the sticks they had been fighting with. Sheppard offered her his arm, and she took it.

* * *

As they walked through the empty hallways of the city, Sheppard finally spoke again.

"You knew I was there without looking."

"It's called passive telepathy. I've been working on my control. It is fairly new, by the way. I mean, I could always pick up thoughts from all around if I wasn't focused, but being able to sort through and know which ones are nearby, or even recognize a specific mind . . . that's recent," Freya said, smiling. "But then, so is a Brendan who can talk to a woman without putting his foot in his mouth."

"John is quite the lady's man," Sheppard replied, a wry smile on his face. "I suppose it comes with the fast planes."

Freya hesitated, then turned to face her former partner. "I'm going to slip up, you know. I can hardly keep my own secrets in a place like this. How can I keep my stories and yours straight? Everyone already knows we knew each other before the expedition, and Dr. McKay has told several of the scientists we worked together."

"You're doing fine. We'll cover for each other, it's what teammates do, you know?"

"You still want me to go off-world with you?"

"We've been deceived before by Teyla's allies. I for one would like to know for certain when I'm being lied to."

"You mean the Genii?"

"You bet. Come on . . . they've got real coffee in the mess. You'll learn to miss it when the supplies from Earth run short."

Freya laughed, and continued with Sheppard to the commissary. "I suppose I will at that, Colonel."


	6. Chapter 6

**Part VI**

* * *

"A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind." – Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi

* * *

Freya looked up as the door to her office swished open, and smiled as she recognized the form of Lt. Colonel Sheppard walking through. He held a pack under one arm, and some BDUs under the other.

"What are those for?" she asked, surprised.

"Uniform and basic field supplies. We're going out early this afternoon. 1300 hours."

"Brendan . . ."

"I know, I promised I'd take you to the mainland, but something came up, and I need someone I can trust to help me baby-sit Rodney while we track down an energy signature."

"What about Teyla?"

"You agreed to be on my team, Freya," Sheppard said with a grin. "It's an unoccupied planet that probably has some abandoned ruins or the like."

"I thought energy readings usually mean somebody left the lights on."

Sheppard shrugged, and sat on the edge of the desk, facing Freya. "Out here, things are a little different. Since the Wraith can come in and beam people up, sometimes things get left behind. And we need to collect 'em."

"I'm not sure I'm up for this. Dr. McKay . . . if he's half as smart as his file says he is, he's going to figure we're hiding things. If he doesn't already suspect it. Hell, officially, YOU aren't supposed to know about me."

"I'm going to be there every step of the way. We go in on foot, set up a small camp in the hills where the signature is coming from, and based on that, determine whether we bring a jumper in to resupply and bring more men. The location's well within radio range of the 'gate, and we can break off at any time. You've got nothing to worry about."

Freya chuckled. "That's exactly why I'm worried."

* * *

Fifteen minutes before one 'o'clock, Freya and the others were geared up and ready to go through the gate. The symbols flashed across the huge, round device, and she watched as it exploded outward, then collapsed back to form a shimmering pool like a vertical wall of water. "Wow . . ." she breathed.

"Yes, it's fascinating," said Rodney. "Now, just step in and we can be on our way."

Freya turned to look at Sheppard. "What does it feel like?"

Sheppard looked at her, thinking about his first encounter with the gate, and Ford telling him it "hurts like hell, sir" before jumping in with a whoop. He tried to go through the various trips, both in the puddlejumper and on foot, and couldn't come up with words. "It's . . . indescribable, Freya."

"Thanks," she said, and to Teyla's and Rodney's surprise, she sounded like she meant it.

"Colonel Sheppard, you have a go," Elizabeth said, and stood to watch them embark.

Taking a deep breath, she followed Teyla through the gate, followed by Rodney and finally Sheppard.

* * *

Stumbling a little, Freya stepped out of the gate onto a stone terrace. Blinking into the morning sun, she saw lush greenery, and stood in awe at her first view of a new alien world. A moment later, she felt someone come up behind her, and put an arm across her shoulders. "So, what do you think?" Sheppard asked.

"You were right . . . that's amazing," she replied, continuing to look around. She couldn't believe how quiet it was. There was no birdsong, but . . . "Do you hear that whispering?" she asked.

"I hear only the wind," Teyla stated.

Sheppard stepped away, turning to radio back to Atlantis that they were all present and ready to go. After the stargate shut down, he turned to look at his team. "All right, let's move out."

* * *

Rodney tried to keep his eyes on the scanning equipment he had running as he hiked with the group to the formation that had been pinpointed on the survey maps. Unfortunately, his mind kept wandering to the pair ahead of him. Sheppard had been acting strange ever since that new girl showed up. He still didn't know why a "specialist" with only a bachelor's degree was sent out to Atlantis, where most of the scientific crew had multiple doctorates. Add to that the way she and Sheppard worked together, and he was looking at a mystery. John had mentioned they met "on a case." As he'd learned long ago, military personnel didn't go on cases. They went on missions. Cases were more of a civilian thing. The girl was even weirder. She was NSA, according to what he looked up on her file, and that was about all he could find out. Somebody didn't want people to know about Ms. McAllister. And she was humming.

"Could you please stop that?" Rodney griped.

"Something wrong?" Freya asked, turning to walk backwards and look at him. Somehow, she wasn't even missing a step, despite the uneven ground.

"You. You're humming. I keep expecting to see Shaggy and Scooby Doo running away from the monster of the week. Which, in our case, would probably be the Wraith."

Freya looked surprised, glanced at Sheppard, and then they both started laughing.

"What? What did I say?" Rodney asked.

"First time we met, Bren- er, John had the Scooby Doo theme in his head all day. Guess it's a recurring theme," Freya said, then turned and continued walking forwards. "You know, I never really expected another planet to look so much like Earth."

Rodney was about to open his mouth to speak, but, to his shock, Sheppard responded. "It's called parallel evolution. Since most of the planets that have Stargates are similar in makeup to Earth, the plants and animals evolve along similar pathways. There's going to be green growing things, well, usually green, and something to help with pollination. We haven't found a planet without allergens yet," Sheppard explained, glancing at Rodney.

"Yes, precisely. It's all very technical. Who cares?"

"The fields we saw about an hour ago would be perfect for farming," Teyla said. "Perhaps when you create your evacuation site, some of my people will come here as well."

"Any sign of the Wraith?" Sheppard asked.

"No, Colonel. However, I am getting a different sensation, almost like a buzzing a voice just out of hearing."

"Whispers?" Freya asked.

"I am not certain. It appears to be getting stronger."

"Yes, yes it is," Freya said, softly. She looked at Sheppard, worry on her face.

"Colonel, there is nothing here besides the reading that we are tracking down. I sincerely doubt there is even a life form larger than, say, a rat to be found anywhere on this planet," Rodney said, glancing up from his scanner.

Sheppard looked at Freya. "Tell me if anything changes. If this is a problem, you can go back. Just . . . just keep it together." Freya nodded in response.

_:What is it between those two:_ Rodney thought. _:They're hiding something. Something to do with her.:_

"Teyla, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. We'll compare notes when we get to the campsite," Sheppard said.

* * *

By the time the reddish sun of M3R-994 had reached its apex, the four members of the away team were sitting down to have lunch, having just finished pitching camp.

"Okay, so what do we have?" Sheppard asked, addressing Rodney first.

"The signal seems to cover an area that roughly corresponds with that formation over there," he said, gesturing towards a green-covered craggy mess. "I could tell you the strength, direction, and wavelength, but I'm still not showing any metallic objects that might correspond to a generator or similar object."

"In other words, it's over there, and you have no clue what it is," Freya commented. "But John, the area he's pointing out is the same." She shuddered a little, then raised her canteen to take a drink.

"I, too, sense something about that area," Teyla said.

"What kind of something?" Sheppard asked.

"It's like a conversation going on where you can't make out the words," Freya said, shaking her head. "Even in Brookridge, I could still pick out words, even if I couldn't focus, but this . . . there's just voices, maybe muttering."

"What is Brookridge?" Teyla asked.

"A place I used to live," Freya replied, evasively. She shook her head, as if trying to clear it, then looked at Sheppard. "I'm fine, really. So, Dr. McKay, aren't those…whatchimacallits…"

"ZeePMs," Sheppard supplied.

"Yes, aren't they non-metallic? And I thought Hermiod mentioned that the Daedalus has some kind of crystal powering it."

"The ZedPM uses controlled subspace vacuum, but as for the crystals on board the Daedalus, those are circuitry not power systems."

"Sorry, I'm not a scientist, really."

"Because nearly everything we've seen uses electricity as a power source, there are usually metals involved. The conductivity is very . . . convenient. Assuming you use electrons as a carrier of power, there really isn't a better way than to use wires. It's just basic physics."

"And no metal means . . .?"

"We may be dealing with some kind of alternative power type. And, of course, we should find out as soon as possible."

"Ok, then," Sheppard said, cleaning up the mess from the MREs that passed for lunch. "Freya, since you're interested, why don't you go with McKay to check out the ridge, and Teyla and I will do some scouting."

"I would like to explore near the river we passed. It appeared to be a good place for a settlement," Teyla said.

"Ok, everyone, stay in radio contact, and I want you back in . . ." he paused, glancing at his watch. "Make it three hours."


	7. Chapter 7

**Part VII**

* * *

"Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist." – Indiana Jones

* * *

"So," Rodney was saying as he and Freya picked their way along the ridgeline towards the energy reading. "What made you decide to come here? It's not exactly the kind of place one goes to look for people who claim to levitate paper clips, or whatever it is you study."

"Psychokinesis has been demonstrated on numerous occasions. I was told that there was an incidence of a young girl within the Stargate Program that developed such powers."

"You can't really pretend that this is real science."

"Dr. McKay, I understand that you prefer to view the world in black and white. Either a thing is possible, or it isn't. Various forms of ESP have been tested and verified in individuals under laboratory conditions. Both the United States and Russian governments did extensive studies into remote viewing during the Cold War. Why do you find it so difficult to say such a thing MIGHT be possible? Especially when you were here when Teyla demonstrated her ability to connect with the Wraith."

"I am well aware of the research, I just don't understand why someone in your field came here."

Freya sighed, offering a hand to Rodney as they climbed over a more difficult rock formation. "It's more along the lines of why I didn't want to stay in the middle of civilization."

"You don't like people?"

"I . . ." Freya paused, thinking about how to answer that question. "I like my privacy, I suppose. And that's easier to find away from the city."

"Can't get further away from civilization than this."

Freya laughed. "No, sir, you can't. It's one of the reasons I like it here."

Rodney shook his head. _:Sometimes, she sounds so much like John.:_

"How did you get drafted, Dr. McKay?"

"Me? Oh, I was one of the scientists selected to work on reverse-engineering finds out at the Groom Lake facility."

"Area 51. Cool."

They fell into silence for a while after that, until Rodney looked down at the hand-held scanning device he was using to track the energy signature, and looked surprised. "Huh. It says we're right on top of it. Do you see anything?"

Not hearing an answer, he turned around, checking to make sure nothing had happened. "McAllister?" he called out. Then he saw her.

"Shit," Rodney said as he quickly closed the distance between himself and Freya. The young woman was covering her head with her arms, as if trying to block something out. Waving a hand in front of her face, Rodney tried to get her attention. "McAllister, speak to me."

No response.

With a practiced motion, he hit the button on his radio, speaking into it. "Sheppard, this is McKay, come in."

"Rodney?" the response came over the radio.

"Your girlfriend is having some sort of fit. What the hell is going on?"

"I'll need a better description than that. Freya, do you copy?"

Shifting a little, Freya almost curled around her radio, as if the device were a lifeline. "There's so many of them, Brendan…" she said, hitting the button.

A crackle came over the radios, and then Sheppard's voice came through again. "Listen to me, Freya. I want you to come back to camp with McKay. I'm sending Teyla to the gate to radio Atlantis. Rodney, can we bring a jumper in?"

"To camp, certainly. It doesn't look like there's any interference," the scientist replied.

"Good. I'll meet you halfway."

"Roger that," Freya murmured.

"Sheppard out."

Freya sat there for a moment, trying to collect herself, before she got up and began walking back towards camp.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, a panting Rodney found himself half-sliding down one of the hillsides they had climbed earlier, following Freya. The young woman was single-mindedly focused on getting back to camp, and refused to respond to any of his shouts to slow down. She set a ground-pounding pace that would challenge most of the soldiers back at Atlantis.

Freya didn't stop running until she was caught by Sheppard.

"Hey," he said. "They're bringing a jumper in. We can go home as soon as they get here."

Freya leaned her head against Sheppard's shoulder, speaking quietly, hesitantly, "Voices everywhere . . . so many of them. I can't understand. Dreamers . . . no, dream eaters."

Sheppard lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Lock it down, Freya. That's an order."

"Is she ok?" Rodney asked.

"Freya's fine, aren't you?"

She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes locked with Sheppard's, and spoke, her voice still soft, "I will be, once we get out of here. It's . . . overwhelming."

"Talk to me," Sheppard said, almost a command.

"The whispers got stronger the closer we got to Dr. McKay's energy reading."

"What whispers?" Rodney interrupted.

"I mentioned them earlier," Freya said, and Sheppard nodded. "I think they might be interrelated with the energy. I'm only getting words intermittently."

A crackle came over the radio, and then a voice. "Sheppard, this is Jumper 3, what is your position?"

"We're about a half-mile due north of the campsite. Think you can come pick us up?"

"Will do, sir."

"I'm staying, Colonel," Rodney said, suddenly.

"What?"

"We need this power source. I can't study it with what I have right now. I'm staying."

"I can't allow that."

"Yes, you can. This isn't a military mission, it's a scientific one. You can leave Stackhouse here with me and pilot the jumper yourself. I don't care, but I need more time!"

Sheppard hesitated, looking down at Freya. "Fine, you head back to the camp, and I'll have Stackhouse and Lorne meet you back there with the jumper after we go through. But no heroics, Rodney, just study the damn thing."


	8. Chapter 8

**Part VIII**

* * *

"Never explain: your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe it." – Victor Grayson

* * *

Freya was cold. She didn't know why she was so cold, but all she could do was shiver. A crackling sound caught her attention, and she looked up to see Sheppard unwrapping one of the Mylar thermal blankets that each of them carried in their field kits.

"Here," he said, as he wrapped the thin layer around her. "The jumper's on the way. Do you think you can walk through the gate, or should I have Dr. Beckett meet us with a stretcher on the other side?"

"'m fine," Freya murmured, pulling the blanket around her.

"No, you're not," he replied, decisively. "But you'll be better once we get you away from whatever the hell you're reacting to."

"Reacting to?" Rodney interrupted. "There's nothing here."

"Shut up, Rodney," Sheppard warned.

"Fine, fine. You two continue to . . . bond. Or whatever," Rodney waved a hand in a circular movement, his face contorted with disgust.

"I said, SHUT UP!"

The burgeoning argument was cut off by the sound of a jumper hovering overhead, and then a crackle came over the radio.

"This is Jumper 3, you guys ready to board?" came Major Lorne's voice.

"Roger that, Major," Sheppard replied, putting a hand on Freya's shoulder as he watched the cylindrical spaceship land. When the rear hatch opened, he smiled at her. "Let's go, partner. Get you someplace quieter."

Freya nodded, pulling the crackling blanket tight around her, letting him guide her to one of the benches.

The pilot looked back over his shoulder through the cockpit hatch at them, and grinned. "We'll be home before you know it, Ms. McAllister, don't you worry."

"We're flying to New York?" she asked, blinking rapidly.

Sheppard suppressed a chuckle. "Not quite. Just back to Atlantis."

"Good," she murmured, resting her head on the upper swell of Sheppard's chest as he put one arm around her protectively. "The City is noisy."

* * *

It turned out Carson insisted that Freya be moved to the infirmary on a stretcher when the jumper landed inside the gate room. Sheppard moved alongside the med team, hoping things weren't about to go from bad to worse.

Twenty minutes later, he knew his hopes had been in vain. Carson walked over to him, shaking his head.

"I do not understand," he said, slumping into a chair. "Her brain activity is off the chart, but she's showing symptoms of shock. And when I tried to administer adrenaline to counteract, her heart nearly stopped. She's heavily sedated right now, but if you want to see her . . ."

Sheppard didn't even wait for Carson to finish the sentence before he was beside her bed.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on hers. "You're going to be fine, Freya."

She looked up at him, wearily, saying, "Liar."

_:Only when necessary.:_ "You prefer I tell the doc exactly WHY you went into shock or whatever he's decided that episode was?"

"Can't tell. John doesn't know."

Sheppard sighed, and pulled a chair close so he could sit next to the bed, his thumb absently rubbing circles across the back of her hand.. "You do have that way of making life difficult. Dr. Beckett has a reason or two to be worried, considering you went into defib when he was treating you. I'm pretty sure he's going over your medical records right now."

"'m better."

A crooked smile crossed Sheppard's face. "Liar," he said. "You just sleep off the meds the good doctor gave you, and I'll keep an eye on things."

"Too many secrets, Brendan," she said, closing her eyes. He waited for her to continue for several minutes, before realizing she was asleep.

He sat there for a few more moments, then stood up, only then noticing that Carson was watching them.

"I don't suppose you'll be willing to tell me what that was about?" Carson asked.

"No, I don't suppose I will," Sheppard said, pushing past him.

"Did ye even bother to read her personality profile before you demanded her for your team?"

"Which part?" Sheppard snapped.

"How about the part where it says she's certifiable?"

"Well, they were wrong."

"Care to explain why you know better than a dozen psychiatrists with more medical training than you and I put together?"

"I know Freya. She isn't sick. She never was, damn it, and we should be thankful the things they did to her didn't leave any lasting damage."

"She nearly died!"

"Because you tried to bring her out of it!"

The two men stood silently, glaring at each other, each refusing to back down. Finally, when the medical attendants realized that neither Dr. Beckett or Colonel Sheppard planned to put an end to the impromtu stand off, one of them put in a call. "Dr. Weir, do you think you could find some time to come to the infirmary? Soon? We've got a bit of a situation."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part IX**

* * *

"There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else." – James Thurber

* * *

When Dr. Elizabeth Weir rounded the corner to the infirmary, flanked by a pair of S.F.'s, she was fully prepared to deal with another hostage situation or worse. What she saw, however, caught her completely off guard. Two of her senior staff were just standing there, in the middle of the room, glaring daggers at each other.

"Gentlemen, what is going on?" she asked.

Surprise crossed both faces, and Sheppard spun to look at her. "The good doctor is taking his files too seriously," Sheppard growled.

"You brought her back to be treated, and now you object to what I'm doing?" Carson responded, incredulously.

"You nearly KILLED her!"

"Colonel," Elizabeth snapped. "Let Carson do his job."

"How long until she wakes up?"

"With the dose I gave her, four hours."

"I'll be back in three," Sheppard said, and left the infirmary.

"What the hell was that all about?' Elizabeth asked.

"I'm not exactly sure myself. He's been getting angrier and angrier at every one of us since he got back. He damn near accused me of malpractice!" Carson replied, then paused, looking down at the file in his hand. "Her file says she's schizophrenic, but there's no sign of any medications. Something's very wrong here."

"Even with the Daedalus, we don't have a guaranteed supply chain. Stargate Command knows better than to send people dependant on medications this far off the beaten track," Elizabeth replied.

"Colonel Sheppard says the file's wrong."

"And he knows that how?"

"Damned if I know."

* * *

Sheppard was livid, and before he even made it to his quarters, it seemed like everyone in Atlantis knew it. Entering the room, he sat down on the bed, trying to think. Things had gotten out of hand, and he owed it to Freya to get them back under control. He couldn't contact Dr. Welles because Welles knew Brendan, not John.

Lying down, he crossed his arms behind his head and lost himself in thought.

He didn't know how much time had passed, when he heard the doors open, looking up, he saw Teyla standing in the door.

"May I come in, Colonel?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, unenthusiastically.

"You are . . ." Teyla hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Very concerned about your friend."

"Yes, I am."

"She would have been fine within an hour of getting off the jumper if Beckett hadn't started messing around."

"I was not aware that you were also a doctor."

"Don't you start, too. I may not be a doctor, but Freya's unique, and you don't go playing games like that. If I could order her back to Earth, I would. She shouldn't be here, it should be that asshole Welles, or maybe Harper."

"I do not understand."

Sheppard sat up, and looked at her. "Neither do I, Teyla."

He looked at her for a long moment, then walked to his desk and picked up the book sitting there. "Look, I'm going back to the infirmary."

* * *

Freya slowly drifted awake as the sedative war off, and she heard voices at the edge of her awareness. She tried to focus, but it was like snatching at mist. One in particular stood out, but as she reached for the sound, it pulled away. She continued on in this matter for a while, until finally she found herself lying on the bed, listening to Sheppard murmuring the words as he read. "Still here?" she asked, opening her eyes.

He shook his head. "In and out. They aren't exactly happy with me."

"What did you do?"

Sheppard actually looked down, embarrassed. "I sort of insulted Beckett about his medical practices."

"You get along so well with doctors," she replied, sarcastically.

"He gave you adrenaline."

"Brendan, everything's ok…"

_:He thinks you're schizophrenic. He has the full medical record, I checked:_ he thought. "You're probably going to have to tell Beckett."

"Tell me what?" the Scottish doctor asked.

"I'm somewhat surprised it wasn't included," Freya said.

Sheppard chuckled. "I'm not. If they included your full file, all of the countries involved in the expedition would know exactly how we pulled those capers off."

Carson ignored Sheppard, and spoke cautiously to Freya, "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"Drugged."

"That's t' be expected. Any voices? Hallucinations?"

She shook her head in response. Carson picked up her hand and checked her pulse, which seemed fairly silly to Sheppard seeing as she was on a heart monitor.

"Well, as soon as we're sure you're back to normal, you'll be free to go," he commented.

"And when will that be?" Sheppard asked.

"John, please, it's ok," Freya said, taking her now free hand, and reaching for his.

"Freya . . ." _:I want to get to the bottom of this, and we can't do that here:_ he thought at her.

* * *

"What happened to the team player I used to work with?" she asked.

"If he's bothering you, Ms. McAllister, we can have him removed from the infirmary," Carson commented, gesturing to a pair of S.F.'s that were watching them with identical wary poses, and then turned to leave the area.

Freya chuckled. "You made some friends while I was sleeping."

"I did, didn't I?" Sheppard replied, grinning.

"You're stealing my job. I'm supposed to scare people by breathing."

"I've never been scared of your breath. It's your mind that holds me in awe."

"I'd trade, any day, Brendan. You know that."

"How many times do I have to remind you to call me John?"

"At least once more." Freya paused, then looked at Sheppard. "I wonder why they didn't give Dr. Beckett a copy of Michael's work."

"National security, probably. Pretty dumb if you ask me."

"Will you back me up when I tell him?"

"I'm not sure confirming to the doc you hear voices is the best idea, but you know I'm behind you."


	10. Chapter 10

**Part X**

* * *

"It is always the best policy to speak the truth—unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar." –Jerome K. Jerome

* * *

Sheppard continued to spend more time in the infirmary than Carson would have liked, hanging around Freya like an overprotective shadow. He had been tempted more than once to turn on the cameras in the room so he could listen in on the conversations that always fell into silence when he entered. And then there was Sheppard himself. The man was a different person around her.

Smiling, Carson walked over toward his patient. "Well, my dear," he said, making a few notations on his clipboard, "there don't seem to be any physical effects from your little episode."

"So, I'm free to go?" Freya had to ask

"Aye. But I want to hear from you the moment anything like this starts to happen. And I think you wouldn't be amiss in making an appointment with Dr. Heightmeyer."

Freya blanched. "I don't need a psychiatrist. There's nothing to be done."

Sheppard put a hand on her shoulder as she spoke. "Maybe we should all take this somewhere less public," he said.

"Do you have the cards, Bre- John," Freya said, correcting herself again, and blushing a little at the slip.

Sheppard nodded, and pulled a pack of playing cards out of a vest pocket. "Who deals?"

"You. Dr. Beckett, you might want to take notes. I'm not schizophrenic, but I do sometimes see or hear things. I'm a telepath," Freya said.

"You expect me to believe this?" Carson said.

Sheppard handed him the deck of cards. "You shuffle, stand over my shoulder, and keep records. The evidence kinda speaks for itself." He glanced over at Freya, thinking _:I hope you know what you're doing.:_

Carson grabbed a clipboard, and on a spare piece of paper wrote the words "correct" and "incorrect" over two columns. He then shuffled the cards, cut, and handed the deck to Sheppard. "If this is some kind of bloody joke . . ." he warned.

"As you can see, there's no chance Freya can see the card from where she is," Sheppard commented as he moved to sit in front of Carson. "Not precisely the traditional way, but hey, we're not performing a scientific experiment, are we?" He turned over the first card, carefully, and looked at it.

"Queen of hearts," Freya said, with no hesitation. Sheppard put the card, face down, off to one side, and drew the next. "Jack of clubs."

Fifty cards later, Carson was looking at the two of them, flabberghasted. "I don' bloody believe it. Fifty-two of fifty-two!"

"Believe it," they both said in unison.

"Can you repeat this demonstration, Ms. McAllister?" Carson asked.

"Any time. Though the degree of accuracy varies a little from target to target, at least with a deck of playing cards. I've found that using Zener Cards is more reliable. I should also mention that I've done this exercise and others and had problems with the different names dependant on the viewer's cultural origins," she said, and then shot a mild glare at Sheppard. "Tarot equivalents, Brendan?"

"You were paying attention," Sheppard said, grinning.

"Brendan?" Carson asked.

"Middle name," Freya commented, again repeating the lie Sheppard had given her to use.

"Well, I'd like to discuss you doing another show for Drs. Heightmeyer and Weir later," Carson said, deciding to check on the name later. He didn't recall offhand what Sheppard's middle name was, but he was pretty sure it wasn't "Brendan."

* * *

Freya woke up the next morning to the sound of her door swishing open. Then, the smell hit her. Bacon, French toast, and eggs. Her eyes popped open, and she rolled over to look to see who had brought it. To her, he looked slightly wrong in a t-shirt and jeans, but those hazel eyes and the mussed up hair were unmistakable.

"What're you doing here?"

"I should have thought that was obvious," Sheppard replied. "I'm bringing you breakfast. You didn't eat all that much yesterday."

She pulled herself up into a sitting position on the bed, feeling a slight tinge of embarrassment over her oversized sleep shirt, but then, Brendan had seen her in far more revealing clothes. "Where did you find real food?"

He walked over and gave her the tray, smirking. "I have my ways."

"You didn't shoot anyone, did you?" she teased, pulling the tray onto her lap. She picked up the fork, and took a mouthful of what had to be perfectly scrambled eggs, closing her eyes in pleasure. "I've only been here a few weeks, and I already miss Earth food."

"Well, some of the Athosian dishes are to die for," he quipped.

"Tava beans, Colonel?"

Sheppard had the good grace to blush at that. "Ok, so I've made a few mistakes since last we met."

"I'm still not quite sure why you bullied Dr. Beckett into releasing me, or brought me breakfast in bed."

"Maybe I just wanted to talk."

She didn't meet his eyes at that, instead, focusing on the food. It was a tactic Sheppard knew well. Freya was giving him a chance to talk with words instead of thoughts.

"You know, if you tell Elizabeth, she's going to want you to stay here on Atlantis," he began. "Cite some argument about a unique talent being too risky to allow out in the field."

"She's a good leader, and a brilliant negotiator," Freya commented. "You and I both know one of the best things a leader can do is protect their resources. That's why I was just the observer."

"Observer, my ass. With you on a case, things were solved in days instead of months. I wish I'd had you with me in Afghanistan."

"According to your file, that would have been almost a year before the Cazal investigation. You've been doing double-duty that long?"

Sheppard sighed. "You think fast."

Freya shrugged, and continued eating.

"It's hard to talk about, you know," Sheppard said, trying to begin again. "I know I want to tell you. Hell, I wanted to tell you when I was back on Earth for that furlough."

"Furlough?"

"After we got the ZeePM set up, Weir insisted the senior staff all go back through the gate to Earth and report. We had almost a month, considering the Daedalus takes eighteen days to make it between galaxies without the ZeePM boosting it."

"So why didn't you come?" Freya asked, looking at him for a moment.

"I didn't want to lie to you."

Freya chuckled. "You're blocking is good enough that you could look me in the eye and say what you wanted without me picking up a thought to the contrary."

"I've been wanting to talk to you about that. . ." Sheppard said.

"Changing the subject, Brendan?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I think the focus that I get from the blocking techniques may be part of the reason I can control the ancient technology so well."

"Makes sense," she replied, and popped a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"But that's neither here nor there right now. Rodney radioed about an hour ago to report, and Weir wanted me to check on you to make sure you were up for the debriefing."

Freya sighed. "I knew there was a catch."

"What happened on the planet has everyone worried," Sheppard said.

"It's inhabited, you know."

"You called the voices whispers, and dream eaters."

"They call themselves the dream eaters. I think, the problem was more of finding a common language, so to speak. I could almost hear the debating, no one voice was prominent." Freya shook her head. "If we can convince them, I want to go back. There's something there, and whatever they are, they connected with me."


	11. Chapter 11

**Part XI**

"The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly," – Corra Harris

* * *

When Dr. Elizabeth Weir entered the conference room, she was surprised to see several people she hadn't specifically invited. Sheppard, Freya, Teyla, and Zelenka were there, but also Drs. Heightmeyer and Beckett.

"Is there something I'm missing?" she asked, looking from face to face.

Freya cleared her throat, timidly, saying, "I asked Drs. Beckett and Heightmeyer here to . . . well . . . there's something you need to know about me. And they can probably explain it better than I can, since I'm still doing my thesis on it."

Elizabeth watched in mild surprise as Sheppard reached over to place his hand on Freya's in a comforting gesture. "I'm not certain I follow you," Elizabeth stated. "This is to be a debriefing about the findings on M3R-994. Unless Ms. McAllister's condition is linked to something on the planet . . ." She let her voice trail off, waiting for an explaination.

"I am not certain precisely how it relates to the planet, but Ms. McAllister has demonstrated to Kate and myself a unique talent," Carson began.

"Why don't we quit dancing around and get down to business," Sheppard growled. "Freya's a telepath. She reads minds, nothing to it."

Freya chuckled. "I'm not sure I'd put it that way, Colonel," she said.

Elizabeth looked at the two medical professionals, and they both shrugged.

"I've run every test known for verification, and she passes," Kate said, clearly still in a state of disbelief. "Different readers, different patterns. She can name every card in a deck as long as someone is actually looking at them."

"What does that mean, precisely?" Weir asked Freya.

"I can't tell the future, or predict cards. You want to see someone weigh statistics, ask Brendan. John. What I can do is tell what someone is thinking, at least at the levels they are aware of thought. I can't just go into someone else's head and pull stuff out at random," the young lady said, not meeting anyone's eyes. "It's one of the things that is blacked out on my file, Dr. Weir. The other items are all pertaining to matters of national security. I've pretty much been working for the NSA since I was finally released from Brookridge."

Elizabeth sat for a while, digesting the bombshell she'd just been handed, and decided to try and pull things back to the original topic up for discussion. "I still don't see how any talents Ms. McAllister has relate to the discovery of an unknown energy signal on M3R-994," she said.

"How it relates, ma'am, is that the planet in question is populated," Freya replied.

At her words, Radek exploded. "That is not possible. The readings show no signs of area ever being developed, and no artificial structures."

_:How do I explain this:_ Freya thought to herself as she gave Sheppard a plaintive look. Sheppard squeezed her hand, and then, realizing what he had done, carefully moved his hand a few careful inches from hers.

"I've worked with Freya before, and the one thing that those experiences taught me is to never question what she says she hears with that inner ear of hers. Besides, I'm with her on the populated planet theory," Sheppard began. "I know that she has a talent, a gift, as some would say, for hearing thoughts. But that means it's that much easier to go into a state of sensory overload, which was exactly the condition she was in when I sent for the jumper."

Carson nodded as if Sheppard had explained something that was bothering him, but otherwise said nothing.

"What we have is some unidentified life form that does not show up on the ancient scanners. I had a handheld scanner with me, as did Rodney, though I believe he was looking more for the energy signature. And the Jumper's systems didn't show anything either," Sheppard continued. "What that means, I don't know. I just know I've seen my partner in similar situations, and we may be on to something."

"So what you're saying, Colonel, is that some unidentified entity was toying with Ms. McAllister's mind?" Weir asked.

"Well, it didn't seem to be very focused, but I started picking up whispers almost as soon as we went through the gate, and it got stronger the closer we got to the reading. Maybe it's the dream eaters home or something," Freya said.

"I, too, sensed a presence to the planet. It was not Wraith," Teyla seconded.

Elizabeth threw her hands up in a gesture of defeat. "Fine, the planet MAY be inhabited. Radek, what can you tell me about Dr. McKay's preliminary report?"

Freya did her best to listen to the scientist's responses on the unknown energy signature, but she kept finding it hard to concentrate. It wasn't until she heard Sheppard's murmur of "Bingo" that she snapped to attention.

The group were looking at some aerial photographs of the site where the energy signature appeared to be centered; a low, flat hillside covered with grass and the occaisional mossy boulder.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

Sheppard had a half-focused look on his face, like he was looking at the picture, but mentally comparing it. "I've seen patterns like that before."

"Computer analysis revealed no patterns," Radek said, confused.

"Is this a copy?" Sheppard asked, and at Radek's confirmation, took the photo and a black marker and shaded in a couple of what seemed to be small ridges to make them stand out more against the background. "Now what do you see?"

"An artifact," Zelenka said, dismissively.

Freya looked at Sheppard, wondering what he'd seen, and where. The man was eidetic, which, while immensely valuable tracking people down, it wasn't always easy to follow his train of thought. She looked again at the picture, blinked, and saw it.

"Concentric circles," Freya murmured in wonder.

"Show me," Weir demanded.

John reached out with a fingertip to tap a spot on the image. "The centerpoint is roughly here, but the stones are small and mostly grown over, so only small areas can be picked out easily," he said, indicating the ridges he'd shaded. "Now, you'd need to measure things to see if I'm right, but I'd love to come in with infrared around sunset and see what lights up."

"Do it," Elizabeth said. "If you're right, Sheppard, then your new teammate just proved herself."

Freya spoke up, hesitantly. "I'd like to go with him back there," she said.

"Are you sure you're well enough for that?" the older woman questioned.

Steeling herself, Freya gave the only answer she could, "I have to find out what's there."

Weir nodded, reluctantly, and then stood, dismissing the meeting. Zelenka then cornered Sheppard to argue with him about the supposed circles, and Freya began to walk back to her room.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part XII**

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -- P.J. O'Rourke

* * *

Freya marked the page she was on as the door swished closed behind the man who had just entered her office. She'd been expecting someone to drop by, but when she looked up, the person looked right, but she had never quite seen that expression on his face before. 

"Teyla and I are returning in a couple of days to check on Rodney and '994. He's still checking things out," Sheppard said, without preamble, but that didn't explain the cocky grin accompanied by a slight bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stood there.

"What is it?" Freya asked, skipping a few parts of the conversation herself.

"Rodney agrees with me."

"So you and Teyla are going to help him with a worn-down Stonehenge copy?"

"No, we're going to be there to back Rodney up when he figures out how to access the device generating the field at the exact center of the worn-down Stonehenge copy."

"You came to tell me I'm not invited," she guessed.

"It's too dangerous, Freya. You're compromised out there," Sheppard said, flatly. He wasn't bouncing anymore.

"I wasn't ready."

"Dammit, we almost lost you!"

"And we know better, now, don't we? I'm an observer, Brendan. Let me do what I do best."

"You can observe from here," he insisted.

Freya stood up, placing her hands palm down on the desk in front of her and leaning towards him. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Teyla sensed the same thing you did, but she wasn't as badly affected. Why take the risk when you can OBSERVE from here?"

Freya took a deep breath, then let it out. "You asked, no you practically ordered me to be on your team, and now you're cutting me out. Please, let me help."

Sheppard turned away from her, and for a moment, she caught the edges of his anxiety before he blocked her out again.

"Don't be frightened," she said, softly. Relaxing her stance, she sat back down.

"Two years ago, you would have sat this one out," Sheppard said, softly, still not looking at her.

"Two years ago, I barely qualified as a rookie agent, and had no training to speak of. Thanks to you, I'm not that bad anymore."

_:I can't protect you from this:_ Freya heard him think, and a moment later Sheppard spoke.

"I don't want to see you hurt, Freya."

The telepath didn't know what to say as she watched her former partner walk out the door, and let out a deep sigh as the door swished closed.

* * *

"I just don't get him these days," Freya said to Teyla over the rapid sounds of sticks hitting each other as they went through some of the beginning patterns. "He begged me to back him up, and now, he's saying I can't go." 

"You speak of Colonel Sheppard?" the Athosian woman asked.

"What other him would it be?" Freya replied with a scowl, but her lapse in attention was rewarded with a smarting blow as Teyla knocked one of the paired sticks from her hand, sending it clattering to the wall.

"You and John certainly are close. Is it not normal to wish to protect those we . . . care for?" The hesitation before the final phrase caught Freya's attention.

"He knows he can trust me. We worked together for nearly a year, and then he went off and disappeared on me. All I knew was that he transferred to another project. Nobody I talked to could tell me what happened to the best partner I ever had. Apparently, I'm also the only partner he ever could be bothered to work with," Freya continued, trying desperately to continue to block Teyla's attacks.

"Halt," Teyla said, frowning at Freya's form. "You are improving, but your mind is on other matters. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to address things before we spar again." The Athosian nodded, and Freya looked over to see Sheppard watching them, with a mildly amused smirk on his face.

"I'll have you know, Freya, that the reason you were the only partner I ever stuck beside was because the others all suddenly desired transfers," he said, with a shrug.

"Because you kept them on the outside, Brendan, just like you are, now," Freya said, thrusting her remaining stick into Teyla's hands and pushing past Sheppard to exit the workout room. "You can be the best leader in the world, _John_, but that doesn't make you a better partner."

Sheppard continued to look at Freya's retreating back, then turned to Teyla. "Do I want to know what that was about?"

"I would say that you already know, Colonel Sheppard," Teyla said, shaking her head.

Sheppard leaned against the wall, scratching his head. "She's acting like I don't have everyone's best interests in mind when I make my decisions."

"I am not certain it is your mind making this one," Teyla said, then, picking up the stick that had fallen to one side, she offered the pair to Sheppard. "Shall we see if you have improved as well?"

* * *

Freya was in her office again, reading through a set of files on the nature of the various types of ancient technology discovered so far when a knock on the wall beside the door caught her attention. Looking up, she was surprised to see Rodney standing there. 

"Dr. McKay, you're back," she said.

"Yes, well, when your reports came through, I realized that it was imperative that I be here to make certain things were taken care of," the scientist replied.

"Well, I'm glad you took time out of your busy schedule to come see me, but I'm sure by now you've been informed that I won't be returning to the planet," Freya commented, unable to keep her bitterness out of her voice.

"That's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about."

"I can't force the colonel to take me with him when he's already made up his mind, and you don't need to be a telepath to know that he has."

"However, he has no say whatsoever on any scientists I choose to consider necessary."

Freya blinked, surprised. "You're saying you want me, a person you have thought on numerous occaisions to be crazy, to work on your discovery?"

"Well, actually, no," Rodney said.

At his words, Freya started to go back to her reading.

"Ms. McAllister, I want you there when I activate the device because your insight in the situation has already proven invaluable. Your . . . communication with the local indiginous lifeforms made it possible to realize that the supposedly random fluctuations we were seeing in the energy signature were in fact two separate types of energy interacting."

She looked up at that. "You believe that they're real?"

"This isn't the first energy-based life form discovered via the stargate, and it isn't even the first found in this galaxy. And since they appear to be able to communicate, I fully intend to try to keep the means of communication open, which means I need you. Maybe the natives can tell us more about what the device we've found is used for," he said, turning to leave. "If you don't want to come, I suppose we could survive without you."

Freya shook her head, grinning at the man in front of her. "No, I'm coming, I wouldn't miss this for the world."


	13. Chapter 13

**Part XIII**

"Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking." – H. L. Mencken

* * *

The next morning, Freya managed to avoid running into Sheppard when she went to the armory, but there was only so much you could do to avoid another person when you had the same eventual destination. Not that there was anything she could do to change things. The real decision was up to Dr. Weir if Sheppard challenged her presence. Freya thought Weir would find Sheppard's adamancy as out of character as she did, but she wasn't entirely sure.

"Well, I'll burn that bridge when we come to it," she muttered to herself, as she sat down for breakfast.

"Is not burning bridges a bad idea?" came a voice from behind her, as Teyla sat down next to her.

"It's an Earth saying," Freya replied, chuckling. "Sort of a variant of 'I'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'"

"I see," Teyla replied, with the usual tone she had when she didn't quite follow, but didn't want to inquire further.

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking about the mission," Freya said, dismissively.

"The one in which Colonel Sheppard has forcibly requested you not come."

"That'd be it," she responded, toying with the food that looked like potatoes but tasted like apples. "I'm waiting for the inevitable showdown, since Dr. McKay specifically requested I accompany the science team for this trip."

"I believe that Colonel Sheppard has only your best interests in mind," Teyla said. "I would do the same for any of my people."

"_Colonel_ Sheppard is acting like I don't know what I'm doing," Freya replied. "It's my decision, really, since I don't work for the military, and unless Dr. Weir specifically forbids me to leave on this mission, I'm going."

"Good luck," Teyla said.

* * *

With fifteen minutes until departure, Freya walked down the stairs to the gateroom to meet the other members of the scientific expedition. 

"What are you doing here?" Sheppard snapped as he saw her moving to help with equipment.

McKay responded before Freya could even draw breath. "She's here because I asked her to be here," he said, as if explaining something to a two-year-old.

"And what does that mean, Rodney?"

"It means that I view Ms. McAllister as a valuable member of this expedition, and I want her expertise available."

"It's too dangerous."

Freya decided she'd had enough. "Let me be the judge of that, why don't you?" she bit out.

"I told you that you shouldn't go back," he said.

"No, _John_, you told me you weren't going to let me return with your team. Well, guess what? I'm not on your team for this mission. I'm on _his_," Freya said, her anger simmering just below the surface. "And there isn't anything you can do to stop me."

"Fine," Sheppard said, through clenched teeth.

"Fine," Freya replied, glaring.

"Fine, fine," McKay said, as if the words were a sign of a truce. "Now that that's settled, shall we?"

* * *

Once again, they stepped out into the morning sun on M3R-994. Sheppard glared at Freya for a moment, then started leading the way back through the hills to where the energy reading had been. 

Freya had just fallen into step beside McKay when a soft voice whispered in her head. _:The other returns:_ the voice stated.

Freya stopped dead, raising her fist automatically in the hand signal for halt. "What other?" she asked aloud.

_:The other returns, so soon. Perhaps it means more will return. It has been a long time:_ another whisper stated, in a slightly deeper tone.

Sheppard turned, noting that everyone had stopped. "Trouble?" he asked.

"I can hear them," Freya said. "I'm ok," she added quickly, seeing his concern. "I think they're talking about…me. Something about others, more returning. I'll keep an ear out, but I think the Dream Eaters are trying to be understood. It's clearer, somehow."

_:Left too quickly:_ a voice said, soothingly. _:Didn't understand.:_

_:Understand what:_ Freya thought, confused.

The deep voice responded this time, as the party began moving again. _:You came from Atlantis, but do not belong to the City.:_

Freya was surprised at that and stumbled a step, being caught by the elbow by Major Lorne.

"Problem, ma'am?" he asked politely.

"Just tripped," she replied, not wanting to go into details. "It's a little distracting, I suppose."

The soldier nodded his lack of understanding, and let her continue walking, staying in a position to be there if she stumbled again. Freya hoped she would make it as far as the stone formation before really having to worry about things. The whispering voices were back to murmurs, as if they were conversing amongst themselves instead of with her.

* * *

An hour later, as they finished setting up the campsite, at the top of the ridge overlooking the circles instead of further away, Freya was starting to get annoyed with her uniformed shadow. 

"Do you have to follow me everywhere, Major?" she asked, without even looking over her shoulder at him.

"Ma'am, I was ordered to look out for you."

Freya rolled her eyes. "I'm going to kill him, I really am," she muttered.

"Ma'am?" Lorne asked, concerned.

"Not you, Major, Colonel Sheppard."

"He's just doing his job, ma'am," Lorne said, cautiously.

"I don't like being treated like an underling instead of an equal," Freya grumbled. "It's like we never worked together."

Lorne looked at Freya oddly, but shook his head, and stiffened as Rodney came storming over.

"You, come here," he said, pointing at Freya.

Freya straightened, and started to follow with Major Lorne a pace behind her, when Rodney glared at the soldier. "Not you, just her," McKay snapped.


	14. Chapter 14

**Part XIV**

"It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realise that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract." – Alan Shepard

"You know, doctor, everything would go a whole lot smoother if you'd just bend a little," Freya said, as she and Lorne continued to make their way over to where McKay stood.

"You. No reading my mind," McKay said, glaring.

"I wasn't," Freya replied, laughing. "You're too predictable."

Turning, she began a soft conversation with Lorne, the result of which had him standing outside the circle, though still close enough to do something if anything happened.

"How did you do that?"

"I asked nicely, McKay."

"Just tell me if you get anything from this," he ordered. He knelt beside one of the rocks, hands flying over the keyboard. As he entered the final command, a bright white light filled the circle. When it cleared enough to see again, Freya was gone.

Freya saw the light come up around her, and then suddenly she was plunged into darkness.

"McKay?" she called out, and heard her voice echoing back at her. "Brendan?"

No response. _:Am I alone:_

Closing her eyes, since they weren't any use to her in the dark, she reached out, trying to find another mind. Only silence answered her.

Hitting the talk button on her radio, she spoke into it. "This is McAllister, can you read me?"

A crackle, then silence again.

"Repeat, McAllister here, do you copy? Over."

Still nothing.

"Great, I'm all alone in the dark, all I need is one of those Wraith to pop up out of nowhere and eat me," she mumbled, speaking aloud to fight off the profound feeling of being alone.

_:They do not come here:_ a voice in her head told Freya.

"Who are you?"

_:Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers:_

"Where am I?"

_:Home:_ one voice said, and it echoed through the darkness in other voices. _:Home.:Home.:Home.:_

"What do you mean, you lost her!" Sheppard's voice shouted over the radio.

"I mean that I turned away for a moment to run a diagnostic, and your circle kidnapped her," McKay replied. "This is not my fault!"

"I'll be there in five, Sheppard out."

As the radio crackled out, McKay looked at Lorne, who was watching with a strange expression on his face.

Lorne only looked considering, and stepped into the circle. "Do it again," he ordered.

"Are you out of your mind? I don't even know what I did in the first place!"

"It doesn't matter. If you can do it again, it should take me to where she is, right?"

"Theoretically, yes. Assuming the device didn't KILL her. You really want me to activate this and hope it does what you think it might?"

"With all due respect, Doctor, I'm here under Colonel Sheppard's express orders. Those orders were to keep an eye on Ms. McAllister and to keep her safe. Now, you can either send me through to wherever she went or deal with Colonel Sheppard once he finds out I offered and you refused."

"Fine, fine," Rodney grumbled, turning back to the panel and studying his tablet. "Military. You're all alike. Rush into the face of possible death with no information. Don't say I didn't warn you when it ends up killing you."

"I—well, Colonel Sheppard has faith in you, Doctor McKay," Major Lorne said dryly. "I'm sure I'll get through in one piece."

_  
:One comes:_ Freya heard a voice say, seconds before she felt the bulk of another form moving in the all-consuming darkness.

"Who's there?" she said aloud, wishing she could see.

A metallic click echoed through the empty space, and a thin beam of light lit up the area, almost blinding her. It also gave her a feeling of humiliation as it lit up a flashlight on her hip. Until that moment, the voices had seemed more important than sight, but now, she wasn't sure.

"Major Lorne," she said, softly.

"Ma'am."

_:The male has a need to be with you:_ a voice said.

"What?" Freya said aloud, surprised.

Lorne scanned the empty chamber, a large domed room with doorways leading off in regular intervals around the edge. It seemed unmarked and undisturbed, except for their presence.

"Ms. McAllister, is something wrong?" the major asked.

"What?" Freya repeated blankly, and then shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Sorry, they said you had to be here."

"I don't see anyone," Lorne said, dubiously.

"Neither can I," she replied, frustration in her tone. "But I sure as hell can hear them."


	15. Chapter 15

**Part XV**

* * *

"It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence that could support this." – Bertrand Russell

* * *

"So, tell me again why two of my people are missing?" Sheppard said testily, glaring down at Rodney and his computers.

"They aren't missing; they just aren't exactly...here. I know exactly where they are. I think."

"You think?"

"Look, it wasn't anything I did, so whatever took your girlfriend had a reason. I just need to figure out why they were taken, and how to get them back. Simple."

"She's not my girlfriend, Rodney."

"Right, right," Rodney said absently.

"And Major Lorne got taken with her?"

Rodney finally looked up from the computer screen long enough to actually notice him. "No, as soon as she disappeared, he volunteered to rush head long after her." His eyes strayed back to the computer as he muttered, "Sounds like someone else I know."

"I heard that," Sheppard replied.

* * *

Freya looked around the empty cavern and back to Lorne. "I can hear them," she repeated, confused. "It's just like listening to someone on the other end of a telephone, or in another room. No visual image to go with the sounds. Well, there's some impressions, I suppose. It all sounds crazy."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, starting to move towards one of the exits.

_:Tell the one to --:_ "--Stay here," Freya said, finishing the thought aloud. She shook her head, it was almost like she was speaking in someone else's voice.

"Ma'am?" Lorne said, questioningly. He paused, but he still looked like he was ready to go scouting at a moment's notice.

"They say it isn't safe to leave the chamber," she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Lorne's cautious paranoia was almost a relief to hear, over the sursurrance of voices. The whole sensation bothered her, because she hated disembodied thoughts, and that was when all she needed to do was figure out where the person was. "Something about..." she trailed off, startled.

"What is it?" the Major asked, more a command than a question.

"The planet's been stripped. There isn't anything capable of sustaining life outside the teleportation device. It has some kind of permeable shield," she responded, glad that the beings weren't trying to speak through her at the moment.

_:Those that built the city did not fear us:_ one of the tones said. _:You are like but not like the ones that came before.:_

"We're descended from them, they came to our galaxy thousands of years ago, fleeing the Wraith. But if you were here then, why didn't you help the original Atlanteans?"

Lorne frowned, but said nothing. She heard him clearly wishing he could hear both sides of the conversation.

_:We cannot speak to him, except through you:_ they said, regretfully. _:The ability to be one has always been rare. We cannot act in your world without the help of one like you. And when we are one, they can _feed._:_

The stress on the final word made goosebumps rise on Freya's arms as she rubbed them. She turned to Lorne. "We need to go back, report in. This is beyond important. Weir needs to hear about this. And...a decision needs to be made," she said, the last hesitantly. _:I'm not sure I can do what you ask:_ the telepath asked. _:Be...one with you. My people do not always recognize this talent as a good thing, and to speak with other voices...:_

Calm acceptance resonated through the chamber, and she wondered if Lorne could feel it, too. There was a lot to think about. It would be difficult to explain, and she wasn't entirely sure she could. How did you discuss a race of beings that weren't precisely even separate entities. They had different voices, thoughts, but they could as easily be the different thoughts in one mind as many. She wondered what Dr. McKay would think, although she suspected his hardened skepticism would cause him to be dismissive rather than accepting.

* * *

The light flared, and Sheppard turned to Rodney, his temper starting to rise. Rodney responded before he could ask, however.

"I didn't do it!" he protested, and as the device powered down, the two missing team members were there, apparently unharmed.

As Freya moved towards him, he noticed the slight tension at the edges of her expression, and shifted his P90 so he could give her a one-armed embrace, the closest to comforting he could offer at the moment. It was a brief thing, it had to be. Even showing this much weakness could be deadly, and they both knew it. Even though the Dream Eaters had told her the entry was safe from the Wraith, she didn't trust there not to be some other threat. And the stares Lorne and McKay were giving them were more than enough.

"I need to go back and report," Freya said, firmly. "The device is just a transporter between this and several former safe havens. I can show you the entries in the ancient database when we get back."

"How did you make it work?" McKay asked, incredulous.

Freya couldn't help smiling, remembering her earlier comment about Major Lorne. "I asked nicely."


End file.
